curiouser & curiouser Podcast

This time two years ago, I probably couldn’t have told you much about midwives. I’d heard of them — they deliver babies, right? — but certainly didn’t know the extent of their expertise and services.

Now, my awareness is much different. Not only do I know a whole lot about what a midwife is and can offer, I’m also a huge advocate for these healthcare providers. They’re often more dedicated to a holistic approach than a traditional care provider, and there was a distinctly personalized touch Kevin and I experienced during our prenatal appointments before Maggie was born, not to mention my actual labor and delivery with her, where our midwife didn’t leave my side.

That’s why I’m so excited to share this week’s podcast with you: a conversation with not only a midwife, but OUR midwife — the one who delivered our Maggie-girl. Nona Smith is with Baby+Co. Winston-Salem, which offers not just care for women at all stages of their lives — including prenatal care — but also is a birth center where women with low-risk pregnancies can deliver their babies in a decidedly more home-like environment than a hospital, and with fewer interventions.

The birth center opened after Maggie was born, so she wasn’t born there, but we still had an amazing birth experience with Nona at our local hospital. (And you can still deliver at the hospital when you use the midwives if that’s your preference, and get an epidural.) You can read Maggie’s birth story here, or you can hear me tell it on The Birth Hour podcast instead.

I’m always an advocate for knowing your options, so I think this is a great episode to listen to no matter where you are in life. Not a parent yet, but want to be eventually? Take a listen to see if a midwife might be the right care provider for you throughout that experience. Already a mom and done having kids? Or not interested in ever having children? You can still get well-woman care through a midwife group and benefit from their personalized approach. Even if a midwife doesn’t seem to fit into your healthcare journey, I think knowing about their place in the healthcare landscape is important.

So, with that, here’s my conversation with Nona. Enjoy!:

http://traffic.libsyn.com/curiouser-and-curiouser/NonaSmith.mp3

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Is there someone in your life who’s become an adoptive parent? Or maybe they’re in the process of becoming one. Or perhaps you’re the one who has adopted, or who is somewhere in the adoption process.

Regardless of your connection to adoption, I’d wager you have just that: a connection to adoption.

That’s why I’m excited to share this week’s podcast with you, where I talked with a good friend of mine, Christina Paine, about her experience adopting her daughter, Amelia, nearly three years ago.

Christina and I talked about what adoption route they chose to take (domestic, private) and why, what advice she’d give others who are considering adoption or going through the process, tips on things to say versus things NOT to say to a family with an adopted child, and lots more. I think you’ll find her to be an informative and thoughtful source, and someone who does a wonderful job articulating some of the nuances of the adoption experience.

Of course, just like any kind of parenting, there are many different ways to go about adoption, but I think Christina’s perspective is a helpful one no matter what. I’ve loved getting to watch Christina and James’ adoption experience up close over the past three years, and am proud to be friends to such caring, wonderful parents. I’m so glad Christina was willing to share her thoughts with us all in this episode!

Here we go!:

https://curiouser-and-curiouser.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ChristinaPaineEpisode5.mp3

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It’s time for my fourth podcast episode (this is SO FUN, y’all!). This week, I talked with Lonnie Atkinson, the amazingly talented woman behind Village Juice Co. in Winston-Salem — a place that serves up whole foods that are oh-so delicious.

Lonnie and I met at one of her very first official tasting sessions while she was developing juice recipes a few years ago and hosted one at our local Pure Barre studio. She went on from there to sell at a weekend farmer’s market…

…then went on to sell juice from a trailer that allowed her to have a more consistent presence, and ultimately opened a restaurant where she sells her juice but also SO much more, including wonderful smoothies, salads, grain bowls, toasts, and vegan desserts that are as beautiful as they are both healthy and tasty.

I sat down to talk with Lonnie about what prompted her love of healthy food in the first place, where the concept for Village Juice Co. emerged, and what plans she has for her brand in the future.

I hope you enjoy this episode!:

https://curiouser-and-curiouser.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/VillageJuiceFinal.mp3

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Subscribe — and listen — to my podcast on Apple Podcasts here! (You can also listen directly from the post via the link at the bottom of the post!)

Do y’all have those people you follow on social media who you feel a weirdly strong connection with despite never having met in real life? Those people who you just know you’d be friends with if you, you know, lived in the same city and also actually knew each other (minor detail)?

For me, one of those people is Simi Botic, who I got to talk to for this latest episode of my podcast. (Yes, that’s right. Now we are kind of real friends. I’m so, so excited.)

But I’m not just excited for me — I’m excited for you guys, too! After all, you get to listen to this conversation, and glean from the wisdom Simi has to share (something I’ve enjoyed doing since discovering her on social media several months ago). She has this infectious laugh and gentle, inviting spirit that I think you’ll pick up on right away.

So who is Simi, exactly? She’s someone who — like me — has struggled with issues related to food and perfectionism in her life. (I shared here on my blog a few months ago about my experience with an eating disorder, in case you’d like to read about that.) After dealing with her own food issues, Simi wanted to be able to help other women dealing with similar things, so she became a health coach (and she’ll speak to what exactly that means — both in general and in her case — in this episode). She also wrote an amazing book called Letting Go Of Leo: How I Broke Up With Perfectionism that was released earlier this year and is AMAZING. (If it sounds familiar, it may be because I’ve raved about it here on my blog already.) Simi’s also mom to an adorable 18-month-old boy, Osh (follow her on Instagram for baby cuteness galore), AND is a barre super-fan/teacher like me. (See? Destined to be besties.)

Are you ready to hear from Simi now, or what? I hope you enjoy this conversation!:

https://curiouser-and-curiouser.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Simi-Botic.mp3

Interested in connecting with Simi? Here’s how you can do that!:

Thank you, Simi, for being a part of The curiouser & curiouser Podcast!

(Oh, and if you missed my first or second episodes of the podcast, I’d love for you to check those out, too! Thanks so much for listening. It means so very much!)

The post curiouser & curiouser Podcast: Episode 3 (Health Coach & Author Simi Botic) appeared first on curiouser & curiouser.

curiouser & curiouser Podcast is back with its second episode! (If you missed my pilot, where I talked with Brittany McGee of The Humble Bee Shoppe bakery about vegan baking, check it out here.)

Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with Tricia Sheehan about essential oils. As a newbie to the world of essential oils myself, Tricia (who lives here in Winston-Salem) has been an extremely helpful resource for me as I navigate this new-to-me landscape.

If you’re like me, essential oils are most certainly on your radar, and you’ve likely had some form of interaction with them, but you aren’t clear on their huge range of benefits, nor are they a part of your everyday life. (For me, they were something I mainly came into contact with while getting a massage. From time to time — especially toward the end of my pregnancy — I’d use lavender to help me sleep and in a bath to help me relax.) But I knew there was more to these plant-based oils, and I wanted to learn more. Tricia is helping me to do just that!

In our household, thankfully we aren’t dealing with any major health issues, but Kevin does have difficulty sleeping, and he and I both suffer from seasonal allergies, so I’m looking forward to having oils to help combat both of those issues. I’ve already started using a blend called On Guard on Maggie (topically and through a diffuser at night) to help keep her immune system strong during this season where there are so many bugs floating around.

In today’s podcast, Tricia talks to us about what essential oils actually are, how to get over the “where do I start?” stage, why it’s important to know where your oils come from, and lots more. Enjoy!:

https://curiouser-and-curiouser.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Episode-2_Essential-Oils.mp3

Oh, and if you’d like to connect with Tricia to start a conversation about integrating oil into your life, you can email her at [email protected] or join her Facebook group, Empowered & Healthy. (I’ve loved being a part of her Facebook community, and love the helpful information she regularly shares there.)

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Yep, you read that right: I’m trying out a curiouser & curiouser podcast!

(!!!)

It’s something I’ve wanted to introduce for a while now, and I’m thrilled to be able to roll out a first episode for y’all to check out.

Why a podcast for curiouser & curiouser?

Because:

Brittany McGee, the mastermind behind The Humble Bee Shoppe bakery in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was up for being my guinea pig for this first episode, and I’m so grateful to her for that!

(Also, shout-out to my friend Amanda for taking some beautiful photos of the hands-on baking session Brittany and I had before we sat down for the podcast portion.)

In addition to the podcast portion, I’ve also included a recipe to Brittany’s delicious (and simple!) vegan buttercream frosting below, as well as a few notes about our time together baking.

Ready to listen? Here you go! (But also, come back and keep reading for some vegan frosting tips!):

https://curiouser-and-curiouser.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Episode-1_Vegan-Baking.mp3

So? What did you think? Please leave me a comment with your feedback!

Okay, on to the frosting recipe!

When Brittany and I were together, she walked me through a vegan chocolate cupcake recipe (we even made our own vegan buttermilk using soy milk and a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, which was so cool) and their frosting. I loved that Brittany used crushed freeze-dried raspberries (from Trader Joe’s) as a decoration for her cupcakes. Not only did they add amazing color, they also added flavor and texture — naturally! She also topped the cupcakes with some gold sprinkle dust, which took things up an extra notch in the presentation department. (You can never go wrong with sprinkles. That’s my philosophy, at least.)

Both the cupcakes and their frosting turned out amazingly well, and Brittany was kind enough to share her frosting recipe with us. (This is for a basic vegan buttercream, and you can add some cocoa powder or other ingredients to switch up the flavor. Use this as a base recipe and don’t be afraid to get creative from here!):

Ingredients:

Directions:

If you live in Winston and haven’t checked out The Humble Bee Shoppe yet, you’re most definitely missing out. The bakery is located at 1003 Brookstown Avenue (right around the corner from Mozelle’s) and is open Wednesday through Sunday. In addition to the amazingly tasty treats offered in-store daily, Brittany also makes beautiful custom cakes, so be sure to keep that in mind the next time you have a special event.

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